The View From The US: Messi has arrived, but where are his jerseys?
August 3, 2023
In this week’s View From The US article, Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams, looks into one of the untold stories of Lionel Messi’s arrival in Miami and why it isn’t plain sailing.
Lionel Messi’s fans didn’t have to wait long for his first signature moment with Inter Miami CF. But they will have to wait if they want to buy his jersey.
Listings for pink or black Messi No. 10 jerseys from the official MLS shop currently feature a pre-order warning that says Adidas will be delivering the product in “mid October.” The disclaimer covers the $195 authentic jersey, the $125 adult replicas and the $105 youth replicas.
It’s a surprising commercial misfire at a very high-profile moment. The Argentine soccer star has been talking loosely with Inter Miami for years, and he turned heads across the globe when he announced in early June that he would be coming to Florida. That was a full six weeks before he made his debut for the team on July 21.The business ramifications could also directly impact the striker. Messi has a lifetime deal with Adidas and is expected to sign a side agreement that will let him share in some of the commercial upside of his jersey sales. If people choose not to order a jersey because it won’t arrive until the end of Inter Miami’s season, that’s bad for fans, Adidas, MLS, Inter Miami, Fanatics and Messi himself.
The warnings on the official MLS and Inter Miami stores, which are run by league partner Fanatics, imply that the delay is on the Adidas side—it says the jerseys will ship “within one business day” of Adidas delivering them to a Fanatics fulfillment center in a few months. Representatives for Adidas, MLS and Fanatics declined to comment on the specifics of the delay.
“The demand for Messi’s Miami jersey has been truly unprecedented,” an Adidas spokesman said in a statement. “We’re working as quickly as possible to ensure that every fan who wants a jersey can get one.”
